I'm Going Away for a Writing Week!

 I'm getting the best birthday present this year. Over the week of September 26 to October 2, I have the opportunity to go up north (7 1/2 miles from the Canadian border) to a writer's workshop. It's called the Red Shoes Writing Retreat. I am beyond excited! Here's some pictures of the quaint little inn where I'll be staying:




And here is the bedroom that I'll be staying in:


Besides the actual workshops, we'll be taking a boat tour up the river, having a fish fry, going on a hike in the state park, touring the heritage center, touring the visitor center, going to a brewing company, going to a toboggan company, touring a CCC camp, and listening to some great guest artists and artisans.

I cannot even begin to express how excited I am to experience this week away. I'm considering this my "golden birthday do-over." (In case you weren't aware, my golden birthday was spent in court and in a state mental hospital.) I've never been very fond of my birthdays; as a teenager, they were usually spent at the racetrack. As an adult, I secretly hoped for huge parties, but they were almost always low-key. These past few years, I've celebrated them at the prayer cabin, which has been peaceful. This, however, is going to be one of the best birthday presents I could ever receive.

I've been seriously working on my writing for close to two years now. I've always dabbled, getting the itch here and there, putting effort into a piece or three. They then would get put away for months on end. I started taking a class through the Therapeutic Writing Institute when we moved here in 2019. I then moved on to the International Association for Journal Writing, which I've been a member of since December 2019. One of the classes I took through there was where I wrote last week's post. In the fall of 2020, I found out about Coursera. They offer classes through various universities. I've taken writing courses through the University of Michigan and Wesleyan University, and I am currently taking a Positive Psychology course through the University of Pennsylvania.  I received my Creative Writing Certificate through Wesleyan. 

I'm lucky to have a wonderful family that pulls together to figure out how to run the house and get Matthew where he needs to go while I'll be gone. I also have a fantastic boss who knows I can get the work done remotely while I'm gone. (You know, she'd probably give me the week off if I asked, but I love my job and can't imagine not working. I also love taking care of her and don't want her to have to do what I've taken over.)

Now I'll be counting down the days until September 26th. Technically I won't, but every time I flip the calendar, I'll be more excited to see the months pass by. I love when I have things to look forward to. And I can't wait to take pictures of the beautiful scenery there.

Next week is the 5th of July. Maybe we'll have some fun pictures of our visit to the cabin!

Until next week's dirt...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So, Yeah, Almost a Year

Image
It's been almost a year since I've posted, and I think I'm about ready to open up about what's happened in this past year. In the beginning of November 2024, Shawn and I were getting ready to go to Vegas. We were going because I wanted to see the stars in the desert when it was a new moon. Of course, we also wanted to see our friend who also lived out there, but the big push was the stars. I was so looking forward to it. Shawn and I stayed the night at a hotel near the airport the night before our flight. When I woke up the morning of our flight, I felt "off." I was hot. My mind was fuzzy. I felt like crying. When Shawn woke up, I felt like I wasn't able to communicate with him how I felt. I couldn't get across to him what was going on. The walls were closing in, I couldn't breathe, I started to cry, and finally I just started screaming. I don't know exactly what happened, other than to describe it as my mind broke. We were supposed to be catch...
Read more

Am I Old?

Image
I broke down in tears yesterday. At first I couldn't put my finger on it. I had been messaging with my oldest about high school. It's my 30-year class reunion coming up, and it's his 10-year class reunion. I had sent him a little message in the beginning saying, "Why would I want to go to my high school reunion when I didn't even want to go to high school in the first place?" We had a good giggle about it, talked about how horrible high school was for the both of us, then went about our days. I had a birthday party for my youngest last weekend. The kid is now a teenager. My baby boy - a teenager. I almost can't wrap my head around it. Yeah, he's got the attitude down. But it's only 5 more years until he officially will reach adulthood. Wow. And my beautiful daughter is married and planning a wedding that her loved ones can be at. Each day I have to remind myself that she is not a little girl sitting at a princess table doing a "project." ...
Read more

Try to Keep Positive

Image
I try really hard in my life to keep a positive outlook. That positive outlook seems to be going down the drain. I notice I'm an angrier person than I've been in a long time. I'm sick of the shit my kids have to go through, that I end up putting them through (the older ones, at least), because I end up having to put them in the middle because their father and I can't communicate. That tension flows over into other interactions, and I turn into a major bitch. It's hard and inspiring all at the same time to watch blended families work together for the sake of the kids. I have a nephew and his wife parent beautifully with his ex-wife and her husband. I watch Shawn and his ex do everything in their power to come to agreements on what's best for their son. And my nephew (shown in the below picture - and he loves it!) co-parents with his ex in a civilized manner. Is a civilized manner too much to ask? My leaving the kids' father was because I needed to work on my ...
Read more